In the 14-year period of 2005 through 2018, canines killed 471 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 66% (311) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. | More »

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No Charges Expected02/05/09: WVEC reports that no charges will be filed in the Newport News mauling. The little boy was in critical condition Monday suffering from facial and neck injuries. The family has requested that no further information about the baby's condition be released. No information was provided regarding the adoption agency, the Peninsula SPCA, or if the babysitter plans on keeping their other dog, a rottweiler, which is reportedly poorly fenced.

02/04/09: Baby is Expected to Survive The infant who was mauled by a pit bull remains in critical condition but is expected to survive. Doctors believe the toddler will recover from the severe facial injuries he suffered when he was attacked by his babysitter's pit bull. The dog, which had been adopted from the Peninsula SPCA, has been euthanized. The agency said the dog was "carefully vetted and the puppy showed no signs of aggression when it was adopted more than a year ago."

Pit bull puppies are always sweet. It's when they reach the age of 1.5-2 years old that aggression begins to show, the very age of this pit bull.

The article goes on to talk about the high rate of pit bull attacks nationwide, which has led cities and the state of Ohio to regulate pit bulls. But Denise Waters, a spokeswoman for the Peninsula SPCA, said her group avoids labeling breeds. "We try not to profile by breed," she said. Waters added that extensive consultations take place with adopters to make sure dogs are a "good fit" and the animals are rigorously assessed and trained (see Tori Whitehurst).

We don't think either journalists bought Waters story.

02/03/09: Baby's Parents in the Military A recent Zupf video reports that the baby's parents are both in the military. This tragic news falls on the heels of Isis Krieger, who was killed by her family's pit bull in August while her father was serving in Iraq. At the time of the attack, a babysitter was watching Isis. In May of last year, a babysitter was also watching Julian Slack when he was killed by a pit bull at Camp Lejeune. In that instance, a civilian had brought the dog over to Slack's home.

A Daily Press news article reveals that aside from the pit bull, the Newport News babysitter had a second dog in the household -- a rottweiler.

02/02/09: Neutered Male Pit Bull; 1.5 Years Old Newport News, WV - In a developing story, a 7-month-old baby was taken to a hospital after being attacked this morning by a pit bull. The boy suffered severe facial and neck injuries, was flown to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and was listed in critical condition, according to a news release from Newport News police. At the time of the attack, the child was at a babysitter’s home. The babysitter struggled to separate the dog from the baby, the news release said.

The dog, which belonged to the babysitter, was surrendered to animal control and euthanized, according to Kim Lee, city spokeswoman. The dog was a neutered male and not quite two years old. The animal will be tested for rabies though the dog's vaccination was current and the dog had no previous history with Animal Services, the police news release said. Detectives are investigating this as a possible case of child neglect, but no one has been charged.

I agree with the above poster…its important for the media to start asking where the dogs came from; the public needs to know if a local shelter is adopting out dangerous pit bulls to inexperienced owners and telling them that all they need is love and kisses and they will be just great with kids.

If the next door neighbor is breeding aggressive pit bulls and selling them around the neighborhood, the press needs to interview him, get his name and address in the paper; let the IRS, his insurance company, and the town AC department know what he is doing.

I hope these parents sue this woman and the the SPCA –no mercy.This child will have surgery after surgery. In Indianapolis little Amaya Hess mauled when she was two has just completed her 48th surgery! Now she’s a big girl four years old. This idiot SPCA doesn’t even know or care about the basic safety ethics about pit bull adoption. They adopted out a pup of unknown background before sexual maturity. I’m sure the animal activists were thrilled that a little pit bull was going to a nice home. What is a human life worth? What is an infant worth? They were ready to risk and deny facts for an adoption. Now this SPCA and everyone connected with it should be sued so it hurts.

The SPCA Director who sent this infant on a lifeflight should be updating his/her resume…not spewing pit bull breeder talking points. Only in the A/C “profession” can an individual charged with public safety responsibilities be above such earthly concepts such as accountability.

TRICARE military health insurance will require the dual military couple to sue and attempt to recover the astronomical medical costs. Methinks Lion Tamer discount daycare most likely didn’t have liability insurance since it maintained a Pit Bull/Rottir petting zoo.